Gabigol has experienced a revelation under Brazilian manager, Cuca, at Santos who has really helped the young striker through a tough time.
The manager spoke to Brazilian newspaper Lance about how he figured out a way to get through to Gabigol stating that “when I arrived Gabigol was very challenged. In the first game with Cruzeiro they asked me to remove him, in the second with the Botafogo they asked me again, in the third with Ceara I left him out. I talked to him before the match and I said ‘Watch the first half from here, see if you understand how we’re playing.’ At the end of the first half I asked him if we were playing well and he said no and I agreed. So I told him that obviously the problem was not just him and to get into the game without anxiety. He came on and he improved our game a lot, we drew and from then on I talked to him again, with confidence. The problem was not him, there were other things that needed to be corrected.”
Cuca was then asked about a possibility of a return to Europe for Gabigol: “Now I want to help Gabigol to play better and win, as things stood in Europe it would have been bad to be in Paris, Rome or Milano. It was bad because he was not playing well on the pitch. The player wants to play, to be recognized and applauded at the restaurant, he did not succeed, and if he goes away from here, I think he will be another player.”
